Dark Daughter
by Tampra Weaver
Summary: Corrine, Dayan's lifemate, has a mysterious daughter. She is elusive, as deadly as any Carpathian male, and she always wears shades, but could this dark daughter be the savior of Darius's soul? DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY CHARACTERS OF THE DARK SERIES.
1. Chapter 1

" The boat ride was a pleasant." Corrine Wentworth said as she looked up at her lifemate, Dayan, as they walked along with Corrine's former sister-in-law, Lisa Wentworth, and her husband, Dayan's friend, Cullen Tucker.

" I thought so, too." Lisa chimed as they walked up to the home the four of them shared. It had been Lisa and Corrine's home when Corrine was married to Lisa's brother, John, and Dayan and Cullen had no problems staying there, knowing how hard they worked for the home. Eventually though, they would be on the road with Dayan's band, the Dark Troubadours.

Dayan stopped when he seen a SUV in the driveway. Corrine squeezed his hand, alarm filling her mind.

" There is someone in the house. Stay here." He ordered, prying his hand from Corrine's. She bit down hard on her bottom lip and forced herself to release his hand as they waited on the porch. Dayan slipped into the house and looked around, slightly shocked that no one was there. He froze when there was the sound of a gun cocking behind him, right next to his head.

" You have about five seconds to explain what you are doing here before I send you winging into the next life." A voice hissed. It was a female threatening him! He heard Corrine's startled gasp as she flung the door open against his orders not to enter the house. No matter what.

" Rusti, no!" Corrine cried out. Dayan turned to see the woman threatening his life and now was a danger to his lifemate.

She was petite, maybe five foot tall, with flawless cream and roses skin and all womanly curves. Her lips were full, pouty, and naturally red. They were turned down in a frown as she looked at Corrine with her neon emerald green eyes. Her hair was a mass of deep cherry red, silken curls that was pulled into a messy, braided bun. If she didn't have the gun aimed at his head, he wouldn't have thought her dangerous at all.

" You know him?" The young woman--Rusti as Corrine had called her--asked.

" I do, honey. He is my husband." Corrine said. Rusti slowly brought the gun down, her eyes still on Corrine.

" What about these three?" She asked.

" What three?" Lisa asked. Rusti nodded towards three men who were tied up in the floor. One moved and she snapped the gun up, level with his head.

" I would not do that. You came here with the intention of kidnapping my mother and aunt and having your way with them. So, as far as I am concerned, your life is forfeit." She cocked her head to the side. " Now, be warned, I have an itchy trigger finger and I've never been known for my self-control." She added, her voice low and compelling with an edge of menace.

" Tempest! Please do not shoot them." Corrine pleaded as one of the men lunged for his gun.

" Turn your head." Rusti ordered, shooting each man once in the center of his forehead. Corrine made a sound of horror and jammed her fist in her mouth. " Sorry, Mom. I warned him." She said, holding her hand out to Corrine.

" I know, baby. I just hate when you do things like that." Corrine said, wrapping her arms around her daughter, Tempest "Rusti" Trine.

" I've got to get this mess cleaned up." She said, flipping the safety on her gun on and shoving it in the back of her pants.

Dayan was inspecting the bodies, slightly shocked at what he had just witnessed. He knew Corrine had a daughter, she had told him, but he did not know her daughter was not completely human nor that she was a skilled killer.

" These shots are perfect." Dayan whispered to himself.

" Actually, one is off center, but he was moving." She said, hunkering down next to him. He looked over at her and she smiled at him.

" I am Dayan." He said, extending his hand.

" Tempest. Well, you can call me Rusti if you want." She said, shaking his hand and then flipping through the men's wallets.

" What are you?" Dayan asked.

" Not what you are, Carpathian, but I can use your skills to get rid of these." She said, smiling as she stood up and hooked her arms under one of the bodies and lifted it onto her shoulder. Dayan stared at her in shock as he lifted the other two and carried them outside. He glanced at Corrine and she shrugged, chewing on her bottom lip nervously.

Dayan brought a storm and slammed lightening into the bodies. He turned to look at Tempest, noticing that she had donned a pair of extremely dark shades.

" Nice job." She said, shrugging as she wheeled around and going back into the house. Dayan stared after, shaking his head. There was no give in Corrine's daughter. She would not back down and had no problem killing, as she made painfully obvious. But what was with the shades? It was night.

" Now can I hug you like I'm supposed to?" Corrine asked. Tempest grinned at her.

" I guess. If you must." She said, heaving an exaggerated sigh and rolling her eyes. Corrine laughed and wrapped her arms around Tempest. Tempest hugged her back and then hugged Lisa.

" Are you home to stay?" Corrine asked, tugging Tempest down onto the couch next to her.

" That's the plan. Well, that is if you and your lifemate will have me." She said, glancing up at Dayan, knowing his opinion carried a lot of weight.

" I see no problem with it. Let's just try not to shoot anyone else." Dayan said, smiling at her. Tempest inclined her head to him.

" I will try my best." She said, not promising anything.

" This is great!" Lisa exclaimed, throwing her arms around Tempest.

" Oh, honey, we will be traveling with Dayan's band. The Dark Troubadours. I hope that is okay." Corrine said suddenly. Tempest suddenly burst out laughing, shaking her head. Dayan's eyebrow shot up at her outburst. She held up a hand and reigned herself under control.

" My levelheaded mother fell for a rockstar." She said, shaking her head again. Corrine rolled her eyes.

" Very funny." Corrine said as Cullen, Lisa, and Dayan started laughing.

" I'm sorry, Mom, but it is funny." Tempest said softly. Corrine sighed.

" At least you still have your sense of humor." Corrine said, smiling. Tempest shrugged.

" At times." She said, pulling off her jacket. A long, jagged scar ran up her arm along with several straight scars that ran up her arms in what appeared to be columns.

" What happened?" Corrine demanded, grabbing her arm and studying the scars.

" Oh. I broke my arm during training. The bone went through the skin." She said, shaking her head.

" And the others?" Lisa asked.

" Um, healing time." Tempest said with a shrug. Corrine sighed and shook her head.

" I should have never sent you to his stupid academy." She said. Tempest shook her head and hugged her mother.

" These scars are light. In time, they will disappear completely." Tempest said, holding Corrine close.

" Still, it bothers me, baby angel." Corrine said.

" Don't let it. I am perfectly fine." Tempest said as Lisa began playing with her hair, releasing it from its braided bun. It fell past her hips. Tempest made a face at her mother and Corrine laughed.

" You knew it was coming." Corrine giggled.

" Yeah, it is the only reason Lisa keeps me around." Tempest complained, but she leaned into Lisa's ministrations.

" Desari just contacted me. We will leave out on the next rising to meet them." Dayan said. Tempest looked at him.

" In a car, right?" She asked. Dayan shrugged.

" Does it matter?" He asked.

" Kind of. I have things in my SUV I cannot live without. Trust me, no light is getting into it." She explained.

" Well, it will only take us a few hours to get to the meeting point. Why is your SUV protected from the sun?" He asked, his eyebrows raised.

" I've had to sleep in there. I don't want the sun blaring in my face while I'm trying to sleep." She said, looking at him as if he were insane.

" Ah, simple answer." He said, his smile self mocking.

" Yep." She said, standing up and shaking her head to release the little braids Lisa had started. She tousled her hair with her hand, scowling at Lisa, who smiled sweetly.

" With the way Rusti drives, we could make it there tonight." Corrine said softly. Dayan rested his eyes on Tempest, thoughtful.

" Let me see this vehicle. Maybe we can travel in it." Dayan said. Tempest nodded and led him outside to where her Cadillac Escalade was sitting. It was an expensive, luxury SUV.

She reached down and opened the back hatch. Dayan instantly noted that she had removed the third row of seats and placed a bed into the back. She was right, the windows were tinted so dark that the sun had no chance in hell of penetrating it. She had also hung heavy curtains up over the back window, the back side windows, and between the bed and backseat that also helped to block out the sun. She pressed a button and a divider went up in front of the front curtain, blocking the sun out.

" Well?" She asked, her hands on her hips and her eyebrows raised.

" I think it will work." He said with a nod.

Tempest sat in the driver's seat, waiting for Lisa, Cullen, Dayan, and Corrine to get in. She had her head leaned against the window, her eyes closed. She opened one eye when they climbed in. Corrine opted to sit in the back with Cullen and Lisa and allow Dayan upfront as Tempest's driving scared the hell out of her.

Dayan studied the inside. Her radio was a touch screen and everything was computerized. He noticed a burnt CD in a case with a clear front and he picked it up, his eyebrow raised. It was labeled the Dark Troubadours. She glanced at it and smiled.

" I'm a fan." She said, shrugging.

" How did you get it?" He asked. She grinned at him, unrepentant.

" I was at one of your shows. I recorded it with a tape recorder, transferred it onto my computer, took out the sound of the crowd, and burned it onto a CD." She explained. Dayan paled.

" Don't worry. It is the only copy. I deleted it off my computer. Of course, I had to wipe the hard drive to do so. Luckily, all I use that computer for is music." She said, rolling her eyes.

" I didn't think people could do that." He said, glancing back at Corrine. Tempest looked slightly smug.

" Only if you know what you are doing." She said, using her knee to drive as she fished for her cigarettes. He heard Corrine heave a sigh when she lit one and then cracked her window. She flipped a switch on the dash so that the smoke was being sucked out of the car.

" That is nice to know. We will have to start checking for tape recorders now." He said, putting the CD back. She laughed and nodded.

" I assume you will."

" Why do you smoke?" He asked, watching her intently.

" Nerves." She answered honestly. It was the last answer he had expected. She sighed and snuffed the cigarette out in the ashtray. " I don't sleep much. I'll go two, three days, sometimes a week without sleeping. Then I'll crash out for a couple of hours and start all over. They aren't like normal cigarettes. No chemicals. They are strictly herbal, but impossible to get in the states. I order them out of Romania." She explained.

" Why do you not sleep?" Cullen asked. Tempest glanced in the rearview mirror and shook her head.

" You are an insomniac." Dayan said and she nodded, chewing her lip as she drove. Her eyes still hidden by the shades. Did she ever take them off?


	2. Chapter 2

The sun had just set when Tempest pulled into the campsite where they were to meet the others. Desari Daratrazanoff, and her lifemate, Julian Savage, were sitting at the picnic table with another couple, Syndil and her lifemate, Barack. They all turned to look, not recognizing the vehicle until Cullen and Lisa stepped out of the back doors. It was obvious they had just woken up. Lisa grabbed her brush from her purse and ran it through her hair, pulling it back into a ponytail.

" Where are Corrine and Dayan?" Desari asked, worried. She jumped when the back hatch opened and Corrine and Dayan stepped out. Corrine looked around for Tempest.

" Where is Rusti?" Corrine asked, opening the driver's door. Tempest had her eyes closed as she rested her head on the back of her seat. She looked peaceful for once. Dayan started to lift her from the seat and Corrine gasped, snatching him back.

" Don't touch her." She whispered.

" Corrine, that can't be comfortable. I'm just going to carry her into the bus." Dayan argued. Corrine shook her head.

" You'll wake her up and she won't go back to sleep again." Corrine objected.

" You two realize that I can hear you, right?" Tempest asked, causing them both to jump and whirl around to look at her. Corrine scowled, her hands on her hips and Dayan sighed. Tempest grabbed her shades from her visor and put them on, never opening her eyes.

" How long has it been since you've slept?" Dayan asked.

" Chill out, Pop. When I get tired, I'll sleep." She said, patting Dayan's chest as she stepped out and shut the door behind her.

" Pop?" Dayan echoed, shocked. Corrine worked unsuccessfully to stifle a laugh.

" Welcome to our world, Dayan." Lisa giggled, openly laughing at him. Dayan shook his head.

" Come on, daughter. I want you to meet the band." Dayan said. Tempest rolled her eyes behind her dark shades.

" Why is she wearing shades at night?" Cullen whispered to Lisa.

" She just does." Lisa replied. Cullen glanced back to see Tempest smirking at him.

" She can hear me, can't she?" He asked in another soft whisper that had Lisa leaning towards him.

" Yes, she can hear you very well." Tempest said, sounding amused. Dayan introduced her to everyone as Tempest, their daughter. She made a face at him and then shrugged, deciding to let him using her first name slide.

" It's nice to meet you all." Tempest said, shaking their hands. She sat down in one of the chairs slightly away from the group. She lit her Zippo and began absently running her fingers through the flame.

Desari suddenly grinned and turned to face another direction as a man with dark hair and dark eyes walked into the campsite wearing a pair of jeans and a t-shirt.

" Hey, Darius." Desari said to her older brother. Tempest paled visibly, her eyes widening behind her dark shades.

" Damn." She muttered, dropping her lighter to the ground after holding her fingers to flame for too long. Darius's eyes snapped to her face and he raised his eyebrows. Tempest studiously avoided his gaze, turning to look at Corrine.

" Rusti, what is it?" Corrine asked. She had never seen her daughter lose her composure before. She looked as if she had just seen a ghost.

" Mom, I've got to go." Tempest said, jumping up and hurrying towards her truck.

" How long are you going to run?" Darius asked, stopping her in her tracks. She turned around to face him.

" What did you do to me?" She asked, sounding completely lost. " You've got me all messed up. I can't seem to function correctly." She said, shaking her head.

" I bound you to me and you ran." He, Darius Daratrazanoff, said as he reached up to trail his fingers along her cheek.

" Why in the hell did you go an do something like that?" She asked, incredulous.

" Because you are my lifemate." He said simply.

" Oh." She said as his fingers touched the rim of her shades. She snatched her hands up to stop him from removing them. " No." She said, shaking her head. It was one word and she was adamant about it.

" Why do you wear them?" He asked, sitting her on the hood of the band's pick up truck. She bit down on her bottom lip.

" She doesn't like her eyes." Corrine chimed. Tempest peeked around Darius to glare at her mother. Darius quickly took her shades off her face and she snapped her eyes shut, putting her hands over them.

" Give them back." She said, holding her free hand out.

" Open your eyes." Darius replied. She shook her head and hopped off the hood of the truck. She nearly fell and Darius caught her. " Where are you going?" He asked, his eyebrow raised.

" My truck to get my other shades since you won't give me my shades back." She replied, pulling away from him and stumbling towards her truck. She felt for the handle and wrenched it open. Once she was inside the truck she opened her eyes and put on another pair of shades.

" You can't keep your eyes hidden forever." Darius warned her.

" Want to bet?" She inquired.

" We'll see." Darius replied.

" But her eyes are a pretty green." Dayan said suddenly. He looked as confused as he sounded. Tempest shook her head at Corrine when she started to answer.

" You are so stubborn." Corrine sighed. Tempest nodded, smiling sweetly.

" I know." Corrine scowled at her then.

" I will win." Darius whispered in her ear.

" No, you won't." She replied innocently.

Tempest sat in the campsite, her knives laid out on the picnic table, cleaning them. They were in order from the largest to the smallest, the largest being an extremely sharp sword and the smallest being a little switchblade.

Darius leaned against the touring bus with his older brother, Gregori Daratrazanoff--the dark one--and his lifemate, Savannah Dubrinsky, the daughter of the Carpathian prince, Mikhail Dubrinsky, and his lifemate, Raven, and watched. Gregori's eyebrows shot up when he noticed she was wearing shades as well. It was in the middle of the night for Christ's sake!

Savannah looked up at Gregori, confused. Who wore shades at night while cleaning knives? Gregori shrugged as Darius led them into the campsite. Darius walked up behind Tempest, placing his hands on the table, on either side of her, effectively caging her between his body and the table.

" I want you to meet some people, honey." He whispered against her ear. She jumped, her breath hissing out of her lungs.

" Jesus Christ, Darius! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" She demanded, slumping against the table, letting out a sigh of relief.

" You should pay more attention." Darius replied complacently.

" And you shouldn't sneak up on people." Tempest shot back as Gregori and Savannah sat down on the other side of the table. Tempest gasped when she seen Gregori.

" Hey, Gregori." She said, smiling.

" Tempest." Gregori said, inclining his head towards her.

" How are you?" Tempest asked.

" Fine. How is the arm?" Gregori asked. Tempest looked down at the jagged scar running up her arm.

" The scar is slowly fading. My healing times are getting faster, too. If the scars faded a little faster, I would be happy." She said, twisting her hair around her hand and then releasing it.

" Really?" Gregori asked.

" Yep. About a week for a fatal wound to heal completely, but about fifteen seconds for it to heal enough not to kill me." She said, shrugging.

" So, that first fifteen seconds is the most important." Gregori concluded.

" Yeah, pretty much. After that, the healing slows down." She said, glancing over at Darius, who was watching her intently. " Oh, I told Mom that I broke my arm during training, so can you not tell her any different. I don't want her hunting my father down to kill him." She added, dropping her voice.

" Give me those awful shades." Gregori said, holding his hand out. Tempest pressed her lips together, glancing up at Darius who looked amused.

" What is it with you two? Do you have something against shades?" She complained as she took the shades off, her eyes closed.

" Darius, where is her mother?" Gregori inquired.

" Corrine is off feeding with Dayan." Darius answered quickly.

" Ah, Corrine is your mother. I have a path to her." Gregori said.

" Okay. I'm being blackmailed!" Tempest exclaimed, throwing her hands out. She opened her eyes, revealing one neon emerald green eye and one liquid amethyst eye.

" Thank you." Gregori said. " I hate talking to those plastic things." He added.

" Tell me about it." Darius said, touching Tempest's chin to make her look at him.

" See why I keep them on?" She asked when his breath hitched in his throat in shock.

" You have beautiful eyes. I've never seen anything like them." He said, pressing his thumb into the heated silk of her full bottom lip.

" And you won't ever see anything like them again. Tempest is one of a kind." Gregori added. Tempest kicked him under the table, causing him to jump.

" Shut up." She hissed at him.

" What are you talking about, Gregori?" Darius demanded, putting his hand over Tempest's mouth.

" He needs to know, Tempest." Gregori said, looking back at Darius. " Tempest is a Nephilim. It is a half human, half angel being. They do not usually produce females. Tempest is the only one in existence." Gregori explained. Tempest glared at him, her mix colored eyes shooting daggers at him.

" Excuse me? Did you just say half human, half angel?" Darius repeated, shocked. Tempest nodded her head, closing her eyes.

" I did." Gregori confirmed.

" Baby, why didn't you tell me? Better yet, why didn't Dayan or Corrine tell me?" He asked.

" Mom doesn't talk about it and Pop doesn't know. He knows I'm something, but he doesn't know what." She said, shaking her head. " Not to mention, it is a little hard to tell someone that you are part angel." She said, making a little face at him.

" The rest of it." Gregori said.

" Okay, I'm working on it. Pushy ass." Tempest grumbled.

" I don't think I've ever heard anyone call you that before." Savannah giggled. Gregori rolled his eyes.

" Tempest has a colorful vocabulary." Gregori replied, giving Tempest a pointed look.

" My father, the fallen Belial, is the leader of the Nephilims. He thinks by battling demons that he can regain his status as an archangel. So, he trains us to fight demons and other beings of evil." Tempest explained, feeling slightly stupid.

" There is no reason to feel stupid, baby, just as there is no reason to hide your eyes." Darius said, cupping her face in his hands and kissing her.

" You don't think I'm a nutcase?" She asked, skeptical of his reaction. " My mom told John and he nearly had us both committed. Of course, he was angry that she even chose to keep me." She added, raking a hand through her hair.

" How did your father manage to seduce Corrine?" He asked, his eyebrows raised. Tempest let out a slightly hysterical laugh.

" My father is extremely beautiful and smooth talking. He can pretty much seduce any woman and has no qualms about doing it." She said, shrugging. Darius looked to Gregori who nodded.

" I would never allow Savannah near him." He said, pulling Savannah close.

" Should Dayan be worried?" Darius asked. Tempest burst out laughing as she shook her head.

" No, Dayan has nothing to worry about. When a woman hates you, it does something to your ability to seduce her." She laughed, her head thrown back and her eyes closed. She didn't notice the others walk up and sit down, their eyebrows raised.

" I am so glad you find this humorous, Tempest, but I am being serious here." Darius chided, but she was laughing to hard to care and he found an answering smile forming on his face.

" So am I. My mom would rather cut his head off than look at him. I'm pretty sure if she got the chance, she would." Tempest said, still shaking with laughter. " No, Dayan has nothing to worry about. Other than a potentially homicidal lifemate." She giggled, struggling to regain control of herself.

" You know, it is hard to tell if you are serious when you are giggling like this." Darius said, laughing softly.

" I'm sorry, Darius." Tempest said, holding her hand out for her shades. Gregori handed them to her.

" You should meet Mikhail." Gregori said.


	3. Chapter 3

**Corrine crossed her arms as they walked through the snow to the home of the Carpathian prince, Mikhail Dubrinsky and his lifemate, Raven. She did not look happy. In fact, she looked down right pissed off. **

" **Mom, can you look a little less angry?" Tempest asked. **

" **Nope. I hate your father and I am not happy about this." Corrine stated. Tempest smiled up at Darius. **

" **I told you so." She whispered, leaning against Darius. **

" **I heard that, young lady." Corrine said, pointing at her. Tempest erupted into a fit of laughter. **

" **Corrine." Dayan said gently. **

" **Do not 'Corrine' me, Dayan. That man is the most infuriating man on this earth." Corrine said. Tempest smiled. **

" **Mom, this is important so try to play nice. The Carpathians need this alliance with the Nephilims and Father can make it happen." Tempest said softly. **

" **I am not doing anything. I will be polite, but if he says one wrong thing, his head will be the price." Corrine said. Tempest choked back a laugh as they walked up to Mikhail's house. Gregori was standing there with a beautiful man with liquid amethyst eyes and dark auburn hair. **

" **Corrine." He said with an Old World bow. **

" **Belial." Corrine said curtly as she glided up the steps to follow Savannah inside with the other women. Belial sighed and looked at Tempest. **

" **She still loathes me." He said to Tempest, who laughed softly. **

" **No, she despises you. There is a difference." She replied and introduced Darius to him. **

" **So you are the one my daughter has chosen?" Belial asked. **

" **Let's not get all paternal." Tempest said, sensing more to the question. Belial smiled at her and nodded towards the door. **

" **Then let us attend business." He replied. **

" **Watch for Mom's sword." She cautioned. Belial stopped immediately. **

" **Does she have a sword?" He asked warily. **

" **Yep." She said with a firm nod. " I gave her one just for this occasion." She said solemnly and bounced into the house. **

" **I think she is joking." Darius said. Belial gave him a skeptical look. **

" **I do not doubt her doing such a thing." He said, following Darius and Gregori inside. He let out a sigh of relief when he seen Corrine clear across the room. She didn't look armed. **

" **Jeez, I was only kidding." Tempest said, rolling her eyes behind her dark shades. He scowled at her. **

" **Mikhail, this is Belial, the leader of Nephilims. Belial, this is our prince, Mikhail Dubrinsky." Gregori said, introducing them. **

" **A pleasure to meet you." Belial said as Raven glided to Mikhail's side. **

" **This is my lifemate, Raven. Raven, this is Belial." Mikhail said. **

" **Raven, it is a pleasure to meet you." Belial said, his voice soft and gentle. Tempest shifted, drawing his immediate attention. She raised an eyebrow at him. **

" **Let us take this to the table where we can sit and talk." Mikhail said, not missing the byplay between Tempest and her father. Belial followed after him, sitting at the table across from Mikhail, Raven, Gregori, and Savannah. Tempest stood behind Belial's chair, an action that had Corrine rolling her eyes. Mikhail glanced at Gregori, his eyebrows raised. **_**It is against their laws for her to sit beside Belial while in men's clothing. If she were in a dress, then she could sit at his side. It's complicated. Basically, if she chooses to dress as a man, she can stand as a man. Not only is Tempest his daughter, but she is his second-in-command and bodyguard, much as I am yours. She will take the mantel of leadership when he chooses. She will lead the Nephilims regardless if she is Carpathian or not. **_**Gregori explained. He felt Mikhail's amusement. **_**Maybe we should adopt that law for our women. **_**He replied. Gregori rolled his eyes and Raven coughed delicately, cutting her eyes up at Mikhail. **

" **So, Tempest tells me that you wish an alliance with the Nephilims." Belial said, his hands folded on top of the table. **

" **I do. We have an enemy, Xavier, the high mage." Mikhail said. Belial raised an eyebrow and Tempest shifted uncomfortably, touching the scar on her arm. **

" **We know of Xavier." Belial allowed. Darius studied Tempest, noticing her reaction to Xavier's name. **

" **He has aligned himself with the Malinov brothers and has opened a portal to bring about demons. He is searching for a way to open a portal that will allow him to bring the dead back to life." Mikhail said.**

" **The Malinov brothers, you say?" Belial asked, glancing up at Tempest. She inclined her head towards him, her eyes still hidden behind the dark shades that were beginning to annoy Mikhail. He couldn't accurately read her expression with her wearing them, so he had no clue what she was communicating to her father and that bothered him. **

" **Yes. You know them?" Mikhail asked. **

" **I do. I would personally like nothing more than to place their heads upon pikes." Belial answered honestly. Tempest's lips twitched as if she liked the idea herself and she were fighting a smile. " That's not very ladylike, Tempest." Belial chided. He was apparently reading her mind or she was broadcasting her thoughts to him. She merely shrugged in response. **

" **Problems?" Mikhail asked. **

" **Daughters. You just cannot control them and at times, they think of the most painful, feminine administrations of justice." He explained. Every male in the room backed away from Tempest as if she had the plague. Darius winced in response. **

" **I see." Mikhail said, shuddering. They could all feel Tempest's sudden amusement at their reaction. **

" **Well, I think, as long as someone explains this lifemate business to me, an alliance is a wonderful idea." Belial said. **

" **You want to know about lifemates?" Mikhail asked, shocked at the strange terms for their alliance. Belial simply nodded. **

" **Our males are naturally dark predators. At the age of two hundred, they lose their ability to feel emotions and see in color. If they do not find their lifemate, they will either choose the dawn, which is the honorable thing to do, or they become the undead. Vampire." Mikhail explained. **

" **So, their lifemate returns their emotions and colors to them? Saving them from either committing suicide or becoming vampire? How is this done?" Belial inquired. **

" **Her voice triggers emotions and colors and then the male will say the binding words, exchange blood, and possess her body." Gregori said. Belial's eyebrow shot up. **

" **Exchange blood?" He asked. **

" **He must take her blood and give her his. It takes two blood exchanges to complete the ritual for a woman who is already Carpathian and three for a woman who is of another species. The third exchange will convert her into a Carpathian." Mikhail's younger brother, Jacques Dubrinsky, stated. **

" **Really now? Tempest, how many times have you exchanged blood?" Belial asked. Tempest never changed facial expression. **

" **I do not think that is any of your business." She stated firmly. **

" **Probably not. So, one lifemate cannot possibly live without the other?" He asked, switching the subject. **

" **No, not really. The male would turn vampire if his lifemate were killed and the woman would virtually grieve herself to death." Raven said. **

" **Interesting. Well, I will send my best man to help with locating Xavier and you have a full alliance with the Nephilims. Tempest will be the one you go through for any other decisions. She has the same control over the Nephilims as I do." Belial said. **

" **Thank you." Mikhail said, extending his hand. **

" **Viktor will be here by tomorrow night." He added as he sat back in his chair. Smug. **

**Tempest blanched and kicked his chair as she snatched her glasses from her face, willingly revealing her eyes for the first time. **

" **Viktor?" She hissed between her teeth. " Of all the Nephilims you can send, you pick Viktor?" She demanded, furious. **

" **You gave yourself to someone else, Tempest, not me." Belial said complacently. **

" **You made the stupid promise without my permission in the first place." She said, slamming her hand down on the table, crushing her glasses. **

" **True." Belial conceded. " So, who do you want, Tempest?" He asked. **

" **My team. They are the best." She said, staring straight at him. **

" **Done, but Viktor is still coming." Belial said, standing up. **

" **You know I cannot work with him." She protested. **

" **If he gets in the way, do him like you do all the others who annoy you or get in your way." He said, heading towards the door. **

" **What's that?" She asked, clearly confused. **

" **Shoot them." He replied. **

" **He'll just heal." Tempest stated. **

" **I know, but he'll get the picture." Belial said and then sighed. " He will escort your team here and then he will leave. If he refuses, you have my permission to execute him." He said, walking out the door. **

" **Fine, but you owe me a pair of shades." She called after him. He flicked something over his shoulder and she caught it to see a pair of shades. **

" **Jackass." She muttered, placing the shades on top of her head. **

" **He is a different type of man." Savannah ventured softly. **

" **He's a jackass." Tempest growled. **

" **Who is Viktor?" Darius asked, his eyebrows raised. **

" **It is an extremely long story. He would have never sent Viktor if I hadn't lost my cool. Nice play." She said, shaking her head. **

" **This Viktor will escort your team and then leave, correct?" Corrine asked. **

" **He better, or I will execute him with pleasure." Tempest said gleefully. **

" **Your eyes are beautiful." Raven said, still staring at Tempest. Tempest gasped and started to snatch her shades down, but Darius was there first, grabbing the shades and lobbing them to Gregori who crushed them. **

" **Enough with the shades. You have beautiful eyes and it is time to stop hiding them." Darius said, kissing her. **

" **Fine." She muttered, clearly unhappy with the idea. " But they are weird." She complained. **

" **I like them, and I think you need to quit worrying about your eyes and tell me more of this Viktor." Darius said, leading her back to the chair. Tempest muttered several unladylike things under her breath as she sat down. **

" **Viktor. Viktor. Viktor. That name leaves a bad taste in my mouth." She grumbled. **

" **You are stalling." Darius reminded her. She sighed and threw up her hands. **

" **Viktor was Belial's bodyguard, second-in-command, and successor until I came to the academy and was completely trained. Viktor was furious about being replaced. So, my father promised me to Viktor without my permission." She sighed. " Of course, he did not know that Viktor and I would fight the way we have. We cannot even be in the same room for more than five minutes before we are in an all out brawl. So, that is all there is to Viktor." She said, crossing her arms. **

" **And will this Viktor demand Belial's promise be fulfilled?" Darius asked between his teeth. Tempest shook her head. **

" **No. He cannot." She said, leaning her chair back on just two legs. Darius pulled her chair back on all fours. **

" **Explain this to me." **

" **Darius, my body has been touched by another and you are not dead and you have not struck me or abused me in any way. That is the only way a woman can go to another." She said, taking his hands. " Nephilims have laws that Viktor is bound to follow. The only way he could gain me was for you to die, or abuse me." She added. **

" **He could say I have abused you." Darius pointed out. Tempest was already shaking her head. **

" **I would have to make the accusation. On paper, willingly spill my blood to seal it, and do this before a council with you present." **

" **No offence, baby, but the lot of you have some strange laws." He said, shaking his head. Tempest laughed and nodded. **

" **Yeah, we do, but they work." She said, still laughing. **

" **So, your team will be here tomorrow night?" Mikhail asked. Tempest turned to look at him. **

" **They will be. It will take us a day or so to get a plan of action together." Tempest said, nodding. **

" **Will they need a place to stay?" Raven asked. **

" **No. We actually own a home right close to Darius's and my home." Tempest said. **

" **Are you talking about that really big haunted mansion?" Savannah asked. Tempest smiled sweetly. **

" **Yes, but it is not haunted. It is a simple spell to cause dread to any who near the house." Tempest explained. Savannah nodded. **

" **Makes sense." Mikhail said, nodding. " We would like to help in whatever way we can." He added. Tempest raised her eyebrow at him. **

" **Is that your nice way of telling me that you want some of your men there?" She asked, laughter in her voice. Mikhail had the grace to look sheepish as he nodded. **

" **I would very much like that. You may pick the ones, if you like." Mikhail allowed. **

" **I can tell you now that I want Ivory, Razvan. Gregori, Darius, and Julian are givens." She said, waving her hand. " You may choose the others." She added. **

" **Would you object to Gabriel, Dimitri, Lucian, Jaxon, Virkinoff, and Natalya going with you?" Mikhail asked. Tempest was silent so long that Mikhail was sure she wasn't going to answer. Slowly, she nodded. **

**Mikhail watched as Darius turned his head, his lips twitching. He put his hand over his mouth and coughed, trying not to laugh right out. She didn't like someone he had suggested, but she was taking it with good grace and faring better than Gregori and Darius. **

" **Just to be clear, this is my op." She said, holding one hand up and leaning towards him. **

" **Of course." Mikhail said, glancing at Gregori. **

" **It's Virkinoff. They do not exactly get along, but she wants Natalya, therefore she is willing to overlook Virkinoff." Gregori explained, shaking his head. **

" **He thinks I'm a bad influence on the women and I think he's an ass." Tempest said, shaking her head. Mikhail nodded. **

" **I see. You are very colorful, Tempest." He admitted. She raised an eyebrow at him and Corrine burst out laughing. **

" **Colorful is one way to describe, Tempest." She giggled. **

" **Nicer than what most call me, I guess." She said with a shrug as she stood up, holding her hand out to Darius. **

" **I assume you will want to meet the team." She said. **

" **I will." He agreed. **

" **I will see you tomorrow night then." She said, tugging on Darius's hand. **

" **Tomorrow night." Mikhail agreed, watching as the strange woman left with her lifemate. He turned to Gregori, who burst out in a fit of laughter, something uncommon for Gregori, even with Savannah. **


	4. Chapter 4

I am sorry it is taking me so long to update. I am working on a fourth chapter. Feel free to criticize and review at will. All criticism is welcomed. Good or bad. Thanks--Tampra Weaver


End file.
